The present invention relates to a toy apparatus which simulates a crawling animal both in appearance and movement.
The so-called "measuring worm", "inch worm", "span worm" or "looper" may be used as a model to provide an attractive toy. However, the distinctive movement of such animals, i.e. the arching or spanning of the body resembling the fingers measuring a distance, is important to the appeal and recognizability of any toy replica of the animals.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a toy apparatus which simulates the "measuring worm", "inch worm", "span worm" or "looper" in both appearance and movement.
More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toy worm which is driven so that the forward motion of the head portion of the worm intermittently slows while a rear portion of the toy arches upwardly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a self-propelled running animal toy with an inexpensively and easily fabricated mechanism for simulating the spanning motion of a worm or the horizontal undulations of a snake.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will be more fully apparent from the claims and from the following description when read in conjunction with the drawings.